


Christmas 2181

by Pixelatrix



Series: Unconventional Sequels, One-Shots and Alternate Chapters [6]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 07:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a silly Christmas fluff attached to my Unconventional series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas 2181

**Author's Note:**

> Bioware Ends All

Fin sat in the oversized chair in the living room to stare at the undecorated Christmas tree in the opposite corner of room.  She had holiday music playing in the background and no food in the kitchen.  She was supposed to be on Arcturus but had been sent to Elysium instead for a few months.  Hackett and Zaeed were busy but she was staying in their apartment in the colony.

Her original plan had been to celebrate the season for the first time since her parents died.  Her plan clearly sucked. Christmas….alone…sucked.  She’d gotten a tree but hadn’t found the energy to decorate it. It was very depressing. She dozed off in the chair. 

_“Shhh.”_

_“Ow.”_

_“What part of keep it fucking down did you misunderstand?”_

It took Fin a moment to realize that she wasn’t dreaming the voices when she was woken up hours later.  She cracked one eye open to find two very familiar Christmas elves decorating her tree.  They were arguing about where the ornaments went.  She could smell cookies baking in the kitchen.  They’d already decorated the rest of the house. They’d left the tree for last probably because she was sleeping.

Zaeed had squeezed around to the back of the tree for some reason; she could barely make out one jean-covered leg and a tattooed arm.   Hackett was handing him a section of little lights that they were trying to drape around the top section of branches.  The Admiral was as dressed down as he ever got,  dark denim, a dark grey sweater and what she was certain was a light blue button-up shirt underneath. 

“You _were supposed_ to be too busy to take a break.” Fin stretched underneath the blanket that had gotten draped over her at some point.  She frowned down at it. “This was not here when I fell asleep.”

“He thought you looked cold.” Zaeed leaned his head out from behind the tree to point at Hackett. “So…Happy fucking Christmas.”

Fin lifted the blanket to hide the grin on her face. “Is it still breaking and entering when you own the house?”

“We didn’t want you to celebrate alone.” Hackett tossed an ornament at her.

She turned the little koi ornament over in her hand. “Fish? Really? This is going to be a theme for our entire relationship, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Zaeed made his way carefully out from behind the tree.

Fin took a better look around the room. “You have been very busy elves.”

“Elves?”

“Who else sneaks into a house the day before Christmas to decorate at put presents under the tree?” She pushed the blanket away and stood up to slowly stretch out her back again.

“I am not a goddamn elf.” Zaeed glared at her.

“I thought you were on Omega hunting down a bounty.” Fin followed her nose into the kitchen to grab one of the still warm cookies sitting on the counter. “Oh this…is very good.”

“Do not bloody eat all of them.” Zaeed elbowed Hackett in the side as they watched her grab a second cookie. “I caught the bastard early so I could take a few days off.”

Hackett grabbed her wrist when she went for a third cookie and tugged her away from the plate into his arms. “Happy Christmas, Finnegan.”

“Thank you.” She leaned up to kiss him then reached out to grab Zaeed by the shirt and tug him over for a kiss as well. “Both of you.”

They indulged her desire to celebrate the holiday like she had as a child. They watched movies and ate cookies. She ate most of the cookies.   The two men were being…cautious around her.  She had a feeling that they were worried about her emotions overwhelming her.  Eventually, she feigned tiredness and slid into bed.  She pretended to be asleep while they muttered to each other before finally climbing under the covers with her.

* * *

Zaeed woke up at three in the morning to find that Fin wasn’t snuggled between them any longer.  He slid out from under the covers and paused to tuck the blanket back around Hackett.  He grabbed the nearest shirt that he could find; it was Hackett’s gray sweater and pulled it on. 

A muffled sob drew his attention to the tree in the corner of the living room.  Fin sat on the floor in front of the tree with her arms around her knees and her face buried against them.  He’d wondered when the emotions of actually celebrating the holiday would hit her.  Since Mindoir, Christmas had been understandably hard for her.

He eased down on the floor behind her and pulled her back against his chest between his legs. “Merry Christmas, Sweetheart.”

“Did I wake you?” Her finger tapped one of the lower hanging ornaments on the tree.

“No.” He wondered how long she’d been sitting by herself in the dark. “The bed felt a little empty without you.”

“Empty?” Fin twisted her head around to look at him.  “You two take up a good three quarters of the damn bed.”

“But you have the best goddamn but of bed between us,” Zaeed chuckled. “It’s the most precious part.”

“It’s definitely the warmest part.” She leaned her head back on his shoulder. “I miss them.”

“I know, Sweetheart.” Zaeed tightened his arm around her.

“I like the fish ornaments.” She tapped another one with her fingers.

“He had them custom made.” Zaeed had been completely amused at the _great Admiral Hackett_ ordering tiny koi Christmas ornaments, amused and jealous that he hadn’t thought of it.

“You’re joking.” The slight hitch in her voice made him really jealous that he hadn’t thought of it himself.

“No, smug bastard,” he muttered.

Fin shifted around until she was facing him with her legs draped over his and her arms wrapped around his neck. “You sound jealous. Why?”

Zaeed decided that he didn’t want to answer that particular question.  Instead, he shoved his hands up underneath her t-shirt.   She rested her forehead against his shoulder while he ran his fingers across her back.  She tilted her head a moment later and began placing soft kisses along the tattoo on his neck. 

“Zaeed.”

“Sweetheart?” His hands paused on her back.

“Can I show you something?” She kept her face against his neck and he had a feeling it was because she was feeling a little vulnerable.

“Does it involve remove that bloody t-shirt?” He laughed.

“No.”

He caught the serious tone in that one word and eased her back in his arms. “You can show me any goddamn thing that you want.”

She reached back behind them to pull out a small square package that had been hidden underneath the presents under the tree.  She scooted back out of his arms to give him room as she handed it to him.  “It’s for you.”

“For me?”  He frowned at the gift. “Should we wait…”

“No.” She pressed it further towards him.  “I’ve got other gifts for you…and Steven.  But this one is…different.  I wanted you to see it first.”

He wasn’t sure how to take that but decided to unwrap the present.  He found a painting inside.  It was a beautiful rendering of Hackett standing on the deck of the beach house that they’d visited a while ago.  He was standing facing the ocean in just a pair of blue board shorts.  It was so life-like that Zaeed touched his finger to the painting.

“But you stopped…” Zaeed set the frame aside to turn back to her.  “You stopped after Mindoir.  I didn’t think that you’d painted since.”

“Just one.  Just this one, for you,” she clarified. “I can’t pick up a brush without seeing mom teaching me how…I…it’s too hard.  But I wanted to capture this moment for you.”

“Why?”

“Because…when I went to Mindoir…I found one thing that hadn’t been destroyed.  It was hanging in the school amongst some of the other artwork that had been submitted for a contest. It was the last painting that I completed about a month before the batarian attack.” Fin pointed towards a large frame wrapped in a blanket.  She stood up and pulled it out from behind the tree.  “It’s my gift for Steven. Would you like to see it?”

“Sure.” Zaeed grinned.  He’d never so no to beating Hackett to the punch on something. “Serve the goddamn bastard right if I see it first.”

Fin shook her head with a laugh.  She pulled the blanket aside and Zaeed stared in stunned amazement.  It was a painting of him, much younger; it must’ve been twenty years ago or so.   He was sitting on the porch of the farm on Mindoir.  It took him a moment to remember.  It must’ve been for her dad’s birthday back in 2164.  She would’ve been ten at the time.  He was amazed that she could remember the details so well six years afterwards to paint the bloody thing.  Hell, she’d even remembered the slight reddish tinge that his hair had at the time. 

“Do you think he’ll love it?” Fin had that anxious tone to her voice again.

“I know he’ll bloody love it.” Zaeed watched her wrap it back up and slide it behind the tree again.  “You sure you never want to paint again? You’re fucking brilliant at it.”

Fin’s fingers clenched together. “I can’t.  Don’t ask me.”

“Ok, sweetheart.” He stood up and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you for the painting. It’s fucking perfect.”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Fucking Christmas,” he chuckled.


End file.
